June 29: Working at He‘eia Lo‘i with Kako‘o ‘Ōiwi

On June 28th, crew members connected with Ha‘ikū valley, working with Kako‘o ‘Ōiwi staff and Kupu/ Youth Conservation Corp guys at the He‘eia lo‘i (kalo fields), clearing invasive grass and leveling a bank of one of the lo‘i, for this work project.

Crew member and Kako‘o ‘Ōiwi staff Brad Wong, sharing the history of Ha‘ikū valley, with other crew members, explaining the change in its use through different land owners.

From traditional times up until the 1960’s this area was strictly agricultural land. When Kamehameha Schools acquired the land in the mid 1960’s they sought to develop the area.  The upright picture is of the lo‘i fields in 1928, where all you could see was lo‘i.  Contrastingly, the colored aerial view of the area, closest to the blue bag, was taken in 2011 and it highlights the six (6) lo‘i that the staff at Kako‘o ‘Ōiwi along with various volunteer groups have been able to restore.  Unfortunately, of the six lo‘i, one was damaged by pigs, so currently there are only five (5) lo‘i producing kalo.

On the walk out to the work site, crew Member Waimea McKeague, yellow and red shorts, talks with Brad, asking more in-depth questions about Ha‘ikū valley and the work that’s been done through the Māhuahua ‘Ai o Hoi program:

Crew members (left to right) Greg Eckart, Kimo Moncrief and Waimea McKeague, helping to clear invasive California grass out of the lo‘i:

Crew members working with Kako‘o ‘Ōiwi staff and Kupu/ Youth Conservation Corp kids to pick weeds from inside one of the lo‘i .

Crew members Ka‘iulani Murphy and Brad Wong digging up the bank so that it can be leveled and the excess dirt can be used to fill wholes around the outside of the lo‘i:

All working together: many hands make light work.

Ha‘ikū valley, and the He‘eia lo‘i that have been cared for by the Kako‘o ‘Ōiwi hui during the Māhuahua ‘Ai o Hoi program: